The present invention relates to the field of light beam modulators.
Various types of electro-optic light beam modulators are known in the art. For example, a light beam to be modulated can be passed through a waveguide consisting of a semiconductor material or a polymer, and the intensity of the light beam can be altered by the application of an electric field to the waveguide by an electrical signal source and an electrode affixed to the waveguide. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,299 to Richard A. Soref.
In the past, straight channel light intensity modulators required an external waveplate and a bulky polarizer for the intensity modulation of light passing through the modulators. It would be desirable to eliminate both of these components by using a polarizing fiber in an electro-optic straight channel modulator configuration.